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Recently, I took my Dad to Franklin Gulf Park on a recommendation from a GrowWNY team member. The two of us instantly fell in love with the peaceful serenity that could be found in this undeveloped and unsung park. We both appreciate taking a step off the beaten path, so to speak. Conservation parks, or undeveloped parks, are simply just county land. They have barely been altered from their natural state, with minimal trail clearing and marking. We have since started looking for more county conservation parks to explore.

My father kept mentioning the Boston County Forest. He had passed the entrance on Rice Road, in Boston, NY many times, but never stopped. On a sunny Sunday morning, we decided it was a perfect time to explore the park. Due to the recent rain, the trails were pretty muddy and the creek crossings were very high—so if you are planning a visit here and it has been raining a lot, make sure to wear appropriate footwear.

We took a trail that led deep into the forest and away from the sounds of traffic that can be heard from Rice Road. Once we were in the heart of the forest, our trail turned into a fork. We chose to go left, and it led us out to a wide field. We quickly realized this is an entry point for snowmobiles. A couple feet from the trail that leads you into the field is another trail that leads you back into the forest. This trail then leads you along the creek, which creates multiple little waterfalls and different points.

The whole circuit is one big loop, totaling about 3 miles. The trails aren’t marked as well as Franklin Gulf Park, so make sure you are being extra observant in order to catch the white dot that lets you know that you are on the right track. However, most of the paths are groomed for snowmobiles to come through, so even if you miss the markings, you can tell where the path is by the occasional snow mobile sign, or by how clean cut it is. Make sure to check out the maps before you go as well: http://www.practicaloutdoors.com/?p=221

Do you have any other county conservation parks to suggest for us?

I am writing from Teen Treks, a local business that works nationally to provide teen bike adventures that span the USA, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe.  We are starting our thirteenth season as North America's ultimate provider of such tours, which last 6-55 days.  Teen Treks is currently hiring for Bike Leaders, who will guide the teens on their summer adventures.

Here is some more about the position:

• The ideal Teen Treks candidate will be a fun, recent or soon-to-be college graduate with interest/experience with both young people and biking/outdoor pursuits.

• Our Treks involve teens aged 12-18 of various biking ability and come from all areas of North American and abroad.  Treks are 6-55 days, spanning America, Canada, the UK and mainland Europe and are a truly fantastic way to gain experience with young people.
• We train all Leaders June 12-16th in Greater Buffalo and Southern Ontario.  It is mandatory for Leaders to attend.
• Compensation is $100/week plus up to $100/week bonus upon completion of successful trek.  We cover transport, food, lodging during treks.  During training we do cover food and lodging, but not transport.

I am conducting interviews right now, so all interested candidates should submit an online application as soon as possible!  Applications can be found here.  Our website is www.teentreks.com

I grew up in the Southtowns, so I know my way around them pretty well. That is why I was so surprised when I was told about a great hiking location that I had never heard of. Right on the border of North Collins and Eden lies an undeveloped park called Franklin Gulf Park. This county conservation park is a hidden gem that makes for a great, peaceful hike through a seemingly undisrupted environment.

Since my own father grew up around Boston and Eden and didn’t know about this park, I knew I had to take him along with me. After making our way through the little town of Eden on Route 62, we turned left onto Sandrock Rd. After a couple of bends in the road, we took another left on to Larkin Rd. As we drove down this street, we noticed the woods to the right of us were peppered with yellow signs that declared them county property. Further down the road, right by the green sign that marks the North Collins border, there was a small gravel pull off on the right. This was the parking lot, and where the trails begin.

Some of you may remember Jajean Rose Burney. During the formation of the Western New York Environmental Alliance he represented the UB’s Urban Design Project and helped the Community Foundation to organize the WNYEA.

Shortly after this he and his wife Ana Hernandez-Balzak left Buffalo for a 2-year stint in the Peace Corps. They were assigned to Mexico and SEMARNAT, which is the equivalent of the US EPA. They moved to the City of Puebla, Mexico’s 4th largest urban area, and embarked on a journey of exploration, discovery and engagement that should make anyone that knows them proud.

Jajean is a naturalist and among other things as a young man helped to develop the Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve and participated in the designation of the Niagara River globally significant Important Bird Area.  He graduated from City Honors School in Buffalo. Both he and Ana attended UB and graduated with master’s degrees in Urban Planning. For several years Jajean worked at the Urban Design Project, which brought him into contact with many current members of the WNYEA.

We are stepping just a bit outside of Western New York for this week’s Feature Friday; about 3,500 miles to be exact. I joined the GrowWNY team over the summer right as we were launching the Go Outside map and quickly realized how many great places in WNY that I was missing out on. The map came in handy when I had a last minute offer from a friend to join her on a trip to Peru to hike the Inca Trail and end at Machu Picchu on New Year’s Day. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, but I was not a hiker, and neither was my friend. So I checked the GrowWNY Community calendar back in September to see where we could go on some practice hikes. I joined a group hike put on by Earth Spirit Education at Franklin Gulf Park. I had never even heard of Franklin Gulf Park but what an amazing place we found it to be. It was like discovering a hidden gem in Buffalo with a lot of history. In fact, I went back to hike it the next two weekends to start building up my stamina and test out different clothing.  Knowing that I would have to be doing some serious climbing (at a high altitude), I headed out to Chesnut Ridge Park to climb up and down some of the hills and try to “up” my mileage by doing the long loops a few times. I was ready for the Inca Trail, or so I thought.